Lionfish advice please, hunger strike – 01/07/2008, Marco's go
Hi,
<Hello Cindy.>
I have went through the website but haven't found a similar problem.
<Really? Have you looked here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lionfdgfaqs.htm and http://www.wetwebmedia.com/liondisfaqs.htm , and at the other linked FAQs on lionfish feeding and disease?>
I have a lionfish, it's quite big, about 10inches from head to tail. I got him in March this year. It's in a 600litre reef tank, tank mates are yellow tang, cream angel, coral beauty, tomato clown, puffer fish and 4 ghost ribbon eels.
<Sound like this tank is the wrong place for them to me. Are these black/blue/yellow or white ribbon eels? Do they eat at all with all these faster fish.?>
All the fish came together with the whole set up. It was a great feeder, took chopped up fresh prawns, then a few months ago, it shopped eating for about 1.5 month (I kept trying to feed it) and then started feeding again.
Then about 2 months ago, he stopped feeding again, only this time it's been longer and it swims away when I try to feed it. I even tried giving it live feeder fish but it's simply not interested. It looks fine, a bit thinner, but its' eyes are bright and flares its' fins when I move in front of it, other times it snaps at other fish when they are feeding but won't eat even when the food is right in front of him. I even put some scallop and prawns at the end of a skewer and tap its mouth with it and it still won't eat it. I've tried soaking the food in garlic before I feed it and it still won't eat.
In the past when it was taking food, it would look up to the water surface and wait for the food to drop but now it just hides in crevices or amongst coral.
I'm worried that it may starve to death and I don't want to loose it. Would you have any suggestions to get it to start eating again?
Thanks, Cindy
<Aside feeding in the dark you have tried all the standard methods. It is not unusual for lionfish to stop eating for some time. 2 months, however, is rather long. First thing to check is water quality, are the nitrates below 20? Are ammonia and nitrite 0? pH? These (and many other) fish regularly stop eating when the water quality declines. A series of partial water changes should improve the situation in this case, but filtration needs to be upgraded, too, if declining water quality is the source of this hunger strike. A second theory is stress: Is the lionfish bothered by the puffer or the other tank mates?. Third idea is nutritional deficiency if prawns was all you were feeding him on a regular basis. I hope he gets well again. Marco.>

Lionfish refusing to eat 1-7-08, Yunachin's go
Hi,
<Hello, Yunachin here>
I have went through the website but haven't found a similar problem.
I have a lionfish; it's quite big, about 10inches from head to tail. <I have one a little bigger.> I got him in March this year. It's in a 600litre reef tank, tank mates are yellow tang, cream angel, coral beauty, tomato clown, puffer fish and 4 ghost ribbon eels. <Wow, four ribbon eels!>
All the fish came together with the whole set up. It was a great feeder, took chopped up fresh prawns, then a few months ago, it stopped eating for about 1.5 month (I kept trying to feed it) and then started feeding again.
<Were you trying anything else other than the prawns? How frequently was he eating?>
Then about 2 months ago, he stopped feeding again, it swims away when I try to feed it. I even tried giving it live feeder fish but it's simply not interested. <What kind of feeder fish? I do not recommend feeder fish due to the lack of nutrition that these fish can provide. A majority of lionfish die prematurely due to feeder fish –associated problems, for instance the high amount of fats.>
It looks fine, a bit thinner, but its' eyes are bright and flares its' fins when I move in front of it, other times it snaps at other fish when they are feeding but won't eat even when the food is right in front of him. <Have you noticed any bullying from the other fish in the tank? >
I even put some scallop and prawns at the end of a skewer and tap its mouth with it and it still won't eat it. I've tried soaking the food in garlic before I feed it and it still won't eat.
<It is not uncommon for Lionfish to stop eating for a short time but not as long as two months.>
In the past when it was taking food, it would look up to the water surface and wait for the food to drop but now it just hides in crevices or amongst coral.
<Lionfish are incredibly picky and prefer for their food to look “alive” when being fed. I would try some ghost shrimp and see if he takes to that. You can enrich the ghost shrimp by feeding them marine flake food. Most lionfish will not turn down a ghost shrimp. I recommend rotating through many marine based foods, such as chopped gulf shrimp (with their shell on), lobster tail, crabmeat, strips/chunks of marine fish (available at the grocery store), and chunks of squid and octopus. I also recommend supplementing these foods by adding a few drops of a vitamins to make up for the lack of nutrition from refusing to eat.>
I'm worried that it may starve to death and I don't want to lose it. Would you have any suggestions to get it to start eating again?
<Good Luck, Yunachin>
Thanks,
Cindy

Lionfish... hlth., nutr.    9/4/07
Hi guys! It has been a while since I last talked with you, but you have always given me good advice, and I haven't been able to find exactly the same problem on the Web site. I have a Volitans lion (Venus) that we have had for 2 years; she is about 8 inches long. She took well to hand feeding, and will eat almost anything we give her. We give her silver sides about one time per week, and the rest of the time we feed her either frozen or freeze dried shrimp.
<Too much fat in these foods... and nutrient deficient...>
A couple of times she has taken an entire cube of frozen blood worms while we were trying to feed the other fish, but this has not happened in over 6 months. She shares a 220 gallon tank with a Rectangulatus trigger, a saddle puffer, a lemon peel angel, a scopas tang, and a flame hawk. About a week ago the lion stopped eating with no warning, and she has been listing to her right side. Her coloring is normal, and her size has not changed, nor does her breathing seem rapid. She seems to float to the top of the tank, and
floats there either on her back or on her side. She has no interest in food, and she seems that she can only swim with her head pointed down; she doesn't seem able to swim towards the top of the tank facing upward, she just sort of floats there. We did a 1/4 water change, and tested the water, and all levels are normal. All of the other fish have been behaving normally. I am wondering if this is possibly a problem with her swim bladder?
<Caused by?>
She has never shown behavior like this before, and there have been no additions at all to the tank (fish or rock) in about a year. She does occasionally try to swim down and sit there, but she ends up floating back up to the top, and is usually on her side, and if I open the lid part of her pectoral fin is actually out of the water between the water level and the lid. She floats with her right side down. I am not sure how old she was when we purchased her, but she was only about 3 or 4 inches long at the time. Please help!!! (if you can). I
don't want to lose her, but I really have no idea what to do for her, and it really seems like it is a struggle for her to even try to swim downwards. We have not seen her really open her mouth at all in the last week...at first I thought possibly lockjaw, but I don't think that explains the strange floating behavior. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time in advance, and thanks to all of you who counsel our fellow aquarists. Your site is truly wonderful, and it's so great to have a place to go for advice and information.
Sincerely,
Jennifer and Steve
<I do hope your Lion spontaneously gets better... with just time going by. It might have swallowed something that is decomposing, producing an air pocket inside of it... If it does resume normal orientation and feeding, I would take to broadening the food menu... and soaking some of these foods in a vitamin, HUFA mix (like Selcon). Otherwise, there is not much that can be "done" here other than wait. Bob Fenner>

Volitans Lionfish Eating issue  8/23/07
Before I begin, thanks for the wealth of good information. I have searched through all the Lionfish threads and FAQ's but seem to not be able to match up exactly my issue. He does not have a dislocated Jaw, lose of appetite, and I have never fed him feeders. But he is having trouble swallowing food.
<Mmmm>
I have owned this Volitans Lionfish for about 1.5 yrs now and have grown him out in a 75g and he now lives in a 240g FOWLR. He is currently 8-9". He has always been a heavy eater of just about anything that went in front of him. I typically feed him cut raw shrimp chunks with tail and shell removed, with other treats from time to time (silversides, krill, squid, ghost shrimp, etc).
<Sounds good; in fact, yummy>
Water parameters are good. 79.5-82 deg F, 8.2 PH, Amm 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate (10), Phos (0). Tank has over 300lbs of LR and a huge skimmer.
Tank mates have never bothered him except with my 24"+ Snowflake Moray accidentally snapped one of his back spines off 1/2 way down during a feeding rampage. (gotta love eels and feeding time). But that has heeled and is growing back. Other tank mates (Queen Angel, Naso Tang, Yellow Tang, Harlequin Tusk, and a Maroon Clown) do not bother him at all.
<Good>
Within the last 2-3 months he seems to not be able to swallow. He still acts interested in food and swims up to it and will gulp it in but then acts like he is coughing and eventually spits it out and watches it sink. He will follow it down and sometimes grab it off the bottom (along with a mouth full of aragonite) and gulp on it for some time before spitting it back out. I have tried smaller and smaller pieces with limited success.
It seems like he has a problem in his throat or a problem swallowing.
Any ideas of problem or potential solutions (vitamins or food soakings)?
<I do think the food soaking is a good idea... I would add the use of Iodide along with the Vitamins, HUFAs... You may find a commercial prep. that incorporates all three. Bob Fenner>
Joe McLaughlin

Lion fish behaviour/illness... nutritional def. syndrome/fdg.    8/8/07
Hi Crew,
First I'd obviously like to thank you all for having this phenomenal web site, it is definitely my primary resource for just about everything I try to do with this hobby.
<Welcome>
I feel that there likely is an answer already within your site, but I just can't seem to put these pieces together well enough to be confident in how I'd like to proceed....
So, to the point...
(I'll try to spare you as much of my novice speculation as possible, and just give you my observations)
I've had my Fu Manchu Lion (Dendrochirus biocellatus with three eye spots) for just over a year, he is the sole inhabitant of a 60 gal with about 80 lbs of live rock. There have been no attempted additions to the tank or otherwise since my last addition of 15 lbs of live rock 4 months ago. This tank is in the basement of my house.
For the first six months of his stay with me he ate gut packed ghost shrimp, eventually he began eating freeze dried krill (vitamin soaked), but will still eat nothing other than those krill (a fish of discriminating tastes, he would actually spit out anything that wasn't krill)
More recently he won't eat anything at all.
<... too likely an effect of the restricted diet>
I last fed him Monday of last week and while a heat wave hit where I live.... The water in the tank rose to 83 over a day or two's time
<Should be fine>
and when I tried to feed him again he feigned going after the piece of krill, but then gave up.
I tried to feed him daily after that and he would still eat nothing.
Originally my take on it was that the rising temperature where I live may have upset him enough to initiate this fasting... his tank normally holds a temperature of 79 degrees. Unsure of how to handle the unstable temperature, i tried to wait it out, hoping the heat would break, knowing that fluctuations in temperature could be thought to be worse than a slightly high temperature. (the water quality maintained itself at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 8.3 ph and around 15ppm nitrate [i know this is high, i have been having significant trouble lowering it]) As of Friday that week I started to get more concerned, as he really did seem particularly lethargic and his belly was starting to look a bit more concave than I'm comfortable with. there was no report of the temp outside lessening, and the lion's colour became pale as well as his breathing particularly rapid. In my own panic and haste I decided to attempt to lower the temp by a degree or so by doing a 15 gal water change with the new water being around 80 degrees.
Now since he's a rock clinger and I work long hours I can't verify if these next symptoms were or were not present before hand.... but obviously if my guesswork and recklessness had paid off I wouldn't be writing you, so what I can tell you is through my observation after that point, he became more pale, and within an hour or three he was seeming to be significantly disoriented.
He would try to swim and almost appeared drunk, like he didn't know which way was up or where he was going. he was doing strange loops where some of the time he was belly-up (which is very abnormal for him). A little spastic and possibly even a bit twitchy.
Luckily (or unfortunately) before I could do any more damage, I had to leave for a few days. I felt sick for having to leave him... but again, sometimes I act rashly when faced with an unwell (or possibly dying) pet.
When I returned on Monday, I found him alive but looking disoriented, clinging to his rock in an unfamiliar fashion (normally he sits with "purpose" and doesn't look so vacant) and looking a bit unstable. (though he doesn't appear blind... he reacts to my hand near the glass)
On close inspection his fins looked like they might have been rubbed a little on the rocks, a few hours later I noticed that only the lower half of his tail had been damaged, where some areas appear to be broken off (honestly, if I had another fish int he tank I would think he'd been chewed)
The upper half of his tail looks perfectly normal.
Presently, he doesn't twitch his dorsal spines anymore, where he would normally move them in a jerky wave pattern. He's still not eating or trying to and I have not had any opportunity to watch him swim, but as he shimmies from one rock to another, he still seems to be inclined to lean to one side, and his "bum" or back half seems to hold less weight than it used to... so, what i mean is he seems to have trouble holding it to any surface.
<Starvation...>
I'm worried anything I do could stress him more and I don't know what would or might do more good than harm.
I considered moving him to my Quarantine tank,
<Not advised>
but I thought a 15g would be more likely to fluctuate with the temperature (if that's even the problem)
Also I have a new fish in the Q tank, an Amblygobius phalaena, 3 weeks into his quarantine and perfectly healthy (as far as I can see) Eating ravenously, and not being affected by these same temp. fluctuations... In everything I have done with his quarantine I have paid great attention to not allowing direct or indirect contact between the tanks (as a side note).
<I would place this fish with the Lion>
I don't know how to proceed from here... My biggest concern is that I can't put my finger on any one thing that might be wrong (or at least connect it to anything I have read in your lion faq's) and am ready lo listen to whatever scolding I need to get to the root of this problem and understand what I can do to help him get well.
Tell me what not to do, tell me what to do.... and maybe tell me what I can do in the future about my summertime temperatures...
Every fish is a beautiful and amazing one, and Fu really is to me.
If I had an equivalent of a Merck Manual of medical info for fish I swear I wouldn't be bothering you, But I really Do appreciate you help for and patience with someone I'm sure you might view as an absolute ninny. I hope some of what I've noted will help you help my fish.
Sorry for talking you ear off. I was just trying to give you all the info I have and explain myself in the process.
Thank you once more for all of you expert knowledge and help.
-Liz
<Am hoping that the addition of the other fish, its feeding behavior will spur your lion on to resuming feeding... I would try some live ghost shrimp... and add some vitamin/HUFA mixture (variously sold as commercial prep.s in the hobby) to the water the shrimp were in for a good fifteen minutes before offering... to stimulate appetite as well as possibly supplying needed nutrients. Bob Fenner>

Injured Lionfish + 1 month without eating. Need advice please.   5/24/07
Hi!
<Hello there>
First off, great site - full of helpful information, but I can't seem to find anything that quite matches my case, so I'm dropping you a line.  4 weeks ago my lionfish acquired a sizable gash across the top of the head in the soft tissue between the "head plate" and the first dorsal spine.  The deep gash went from one gill covering to the other and he was bleeding freely in the tank.
<Yikes! Very bad situation... Fishes have very high "Packed Cell Volumes"... and a world of not much dissolved oxygen (often about 7 ppm... vs. ours of about 210,000... Need their blood, rest of their integument/slime systems to be intact to stay alive>
I wish I could figure out how to attach the pictures I have, but it basically looks like someone took a steak knife and split the back of the head open.
<Mmm, have seen similar injuries... Lions can really move at times... run into objects, jump out of the water, striking gear...>
I later found a 2-inch peacock mantis in my live rock (which I immediately removed), but I am still unsure what caused this injury.  The bleeding eventually stopped and under the advice of my local fish store, I treated the tank with MelaFix for 2 weeks.
<Am not a fan>
  The Lionfish ate sparingly after this injury (he was a terrific eater of fresh frozen and freeze dried shrimp prior to this event), but ate his final piece of food 24 days ago.  His wound is healing nicely (no discoloration or puss from the wound). I tried ghost shrimp and guppies - nothing is taking his interest.
In fact, when I try to "pole feed" dehydrated shrimp, the live ghost shrimp will crawl up onto the face of my Lionfish to get the food!!!  Water levels are fine, I check the ammonia, etc., every other day and change a portion of the water weekly.  Anyway, his dorsal spines are depressed, laying along his back and he's noticeably losing weight (although I haven't massed him).
I've contacted a few local aquaria regarding force feeding, and had I.V. feeding proposed as a suggestion.
<Mmm... would not do this>
Unfortunately, the aquarium that suggested this is too far away for me to bring in the fish (overseas).  I was wondering if you had any suggestions for force or IV feeding?
<Well... could/can be done... with extreme care with Pteroines obviously... but I would keep trying the foods you have been, with some changes... I would re-arrange the decor in this system, soak all foods in a vitamin and HUFA supplement (for attraction as well as nutrition), and make/use a "feeding stick" for the non-live items...>
I've managed to shove food in his mouth via the "pole feeding" method,
<Oh! Good>
but at this point he's spitting everything back out - so I think we've gone a bit beyond the standard "hunger strike". If I must handle him to force or IV feed, what type of gloves would suffice to prevent being injured by his spines?
<Mmm, actually... better to use well-soaked (to discount residual cleaner) white (versus colored) older cloth towels... to "hold back the dorsal and pectoral fins while manipulating such animals>
I have dive gloves, but the joints are fairly thin.
<These can be easily punctured... and the handling will further damage the fish with these>
Any advice would be very helpful - my lionfish is such a terrific little guy, with an awesome personality (up until this event... his behaviour has radically changed to depressed and non-interactive over the past month).  I don't want to lose him!
Thanks,
Kim
<The food bolus must be pressed, inserted further back than the buccal cavity... past the obvious closure in the back throat... there are some backward pointing structures there that disallow live food organisms from escape... A plastic catheter, other tools... Bob Fenner>

Problems Feeding My Lionfish (Puffer/Lionfish Incompatibility) – 05/08/07
Dear Bob,
<<Hello Jason...Eric here this A.M.>>
I recently acquires a Lionfish and a Porcupine Puffer.
<<Neat fishes...though not really compatible>>
My problem comes in at feeding time.
<<Indeed>>
The Puffer eats everything I put into the tank so the Lionfish doesn't have a chance to eat.
<<Just one of several reasons these two species do not do well together in typical home displays>>
Any suggestions as to how I can distract the Puffer from taking everything away from the Lionfish?  At one point the Lionfish was ready to suck in a prawn  and the Puffer practically took it out of the Lionfish mouth.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
Jason
<<Obviously, the best solution is to have these fishes in separate systems.  Failing that, you can try fabricating/inserting some type of divider (a piece of acrylic sheet) at feeding times to “corral” the Puffer away from the Lionfish to give the latter time enough to feed.  Do also keep an eye on these two, especially for signs of fin damage on the Lionfish as sooner or later the Puffer will likely begin to chew on its tankmate..  Regards, EricR>>

Lionfish worries, feeding-not  - 05/01/07
Hi,
  I can't tell you how much my husband and I love this website.  You have been a huge help for us on many occasions.  Unfortunately, we have a sick Volitans lionfish, and haven't found any information in the FAQ's.  He shares a 55 gallon tank with a small, young triggerfish and a few snails.
<Need more room than this...>
  We have a live sand bed and about 35 pounds of live rock.  Our water quality is good. (Nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia are all 0 ppm.
<Really?! Even zero nitrate? Unusual for settings with this sort of wildlife mix>
pH is around 8.3.  Specific gravity is 1.024.)  The problem is that our lionfish stopped eating over a month ago.  He shows no signs of infection and the triggerfish is completely healthy.
<May be the psychological reason the Lion has ceased feeding...>
  As appearances go, he looks fine, other than a slight decrease in size.
<Good observation. Do actually "shrink" with starvation>
The only other thing we've noticed, which is rather odd, is this bright blue poop here and there in the tank.  I know it isn't coming from the triggerfish.  So, what would cause the lionfish to have poop like that?
<Mmm, don't know... may be from the snails>
Could he have swallowed something?  Please help.  This fish has been an awesome pet with a great personality for us and our boys.  Thank you so much!
  Chanda   
<Really... I'd move the Lion elsewhere... Sometimes these fishes do "just go on feeding strikes"... Perhaps some live ghost shrimp in a new setting with spur it on to resume feeding. You have read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lionfdgfaqs.htm
and the linked files above I take it. Bob Fenner>

Lionfish problems!!! HELP  3/19/07
Hi,
I have had a Lionfish for the last 6 months, who was doing wonderfully well.
In the last week, it refuses to eat, and has been swimming from side to side in the tank for hours, like he had never done before.
<Unusual behavior>
I've tried hand-feeding it silver fish, krill, and raw shrimps. He just doesn't eat.
My tank is a 92 gallon, and my lionfish is about 6 inches long. I have 3 tangs and one panther grouper.
<Mmmm>
It is a reef tank.
Is it possible that he is outgrowing the tank?
<More likely the tankmates>
Or is it the beginning of a parasite or any disease?
<Not likely>
Please help, I love this fish!
Thanks,
Gary
<The behavior is indicative of "something" bothering this specimen... that is obviously not bothering your other fish livestock... Likely the presence of the Chromileptis/Panther is "it"... If this were my Lion, I'd move it to another system to see if this "cures" the non-feeding and pacing behavior... and if you don't have such means, I'd trade in either it or the Bass. Bob Fenner>

Lionfish Fdg, hunger strike - 1/25/07
<Hey Art, JustinN with you today.>
All of a sudden my lionfish stopped eating. He watches the food, even acts like he is going to eat it, then can't seem to open his mouth. I have had this lion for nearly a year and hate to lose him.  I know if he doesn't start eating he will die. My local fish stores have no answers and just tell me he is going to die.
<Perhaps a sign of disparaging methods at your LFS... How long has this hunger strike been going? Lionfish are known to go on occasional hunger strikes, refusing food for up and over a week at times..>
Since I apparently have nothing to lose, is there a medicine I can try or can I shock him with a fresh water dip?
<You have the life of your aquatic pet to lose here, my friend. I would not medicate until you have some sort of real indication of a problem. Is his stomach becoming visibly pinched yet? These creatures typically do not eat daily...>
I have even considered separating him and trying to open his mouth with some kind of tool to see if it is "stuck"? I do realize they are poisonous so I will need to be careful. Any suggestions?
<"Wait and see" is my suggestion here... if its been under a week and a half since the last feeding, I would not yet be concerned. Do try supplements to improve palatability of food, such as garlic extract and Selcon. Good luck! -JustinN>
Art Berkowitz

Lionfish Fdg, hunger strike - a follow-up 1/27/07
<Hey Art, JustinN with you today.>
Thanks for you prompt reply  Justin
<<No Problem, Art. Glad to help.>
All of a sudden my lionfish stopped eating. He watches the food, even  acts like he is going to eat it, then can't seem to open his mouth. I have had  this lion for nearly a year and hate to lose him.  I know if he doesn't  start eating he will die. My local fish stores have no answers and just tell me  he is going to die.
<Perhaps a sign of disparaging methods at your LFS... How long has  this hunger strike been going? Lionfish are known to go on occasional hunger  strikes, refusing food for up and over a week at times..>
It has been nearly two weeks since my lionfish  began acting strangely. As I said, the thing that concerns me the most is that  he seems unable to open his mouth.
<<Mmm, then I would agree it is time to start being a bit more concerned... I still don't believe all is lost here, my friend.>>
Since I apparently have nothing to lose, is there a medicine I can try  or can I shock him with a fresh water dip?
<You have the life of your  aquatic pet to lose here, my friend. I would not medicate until you have some  sort of real indication of a problem. Is his stomach becoming visibly pinched  yet? These creatures typically do not eat daily...>
No, his stomach does not appear to be pinched  yet. I feed my fish twice each day except when I am out-of-town and my neighbor  is feeding the fish.
<<What do you feed here? Standard frozen aquatic cuisine, flake food, or meats from the seafood counter at the grocery store?>>
Every morning my lionfish was at the top of the tank  waiting for me along with my porcupine puffer.
<How large of a tank is this? This could be part of the issue, both these fish are quite the waste producers and messy eaters, and likewise, can get fairly large.>
They used to fight for the first  food dropped into the tank.
So this is very unusual behavior. Now, he just sits  upside down under a rock and rarely ventures from that position all  day.
<<What are your water parameters like? Perhaps there's a malady, something off, there?>>
I have even considered separating him and trying to open his mouth with  some kind of tool to see if it is "stuck"? I do realize they are poisonous so I will need to be careful. Any suggestions?
<<Just as you say here, carefully restrain the fish, and lightly attempt to open the jaw for feeding.>>
<"Wait and see" is my suggestion  here... if its been under a week and a half since the last feeding, I would not  yet be concerned. Do try supplements to improve palatability of food, such as  garlic extract and Selcon. Good luck!
-JustinN>
I will try the supplements and will wait and see. I just feel so helpless and everyone was telling me he is going to die. So I just wanted to try something proactive rather than accept that as his fate.
Thanks for listening.
Art Berkowitz
<<Don't feel too overwhelmed, Art. Even under the best care, we can sometimes miss details, and/or things just go wrong on occasion. Likewise, I don't believe the situation is as dire as everyone else believes. Your lionfish does not need to be eating every day, and this could be leading in part to his current hunger strike. Aim for every 2-3 days, with meals consisting of mixed frozen sea-borne meats, as you can buy at the local grocer. Have a read through our lionfish feeding FAQ's, perhaps something that we haven't already postulated on will jump out at you: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lionfdgfaq2.htm Good luck! -JustinN>>

Doing What Come Naturally….Lion Eating Hermits 1/16/07
I have a really big problem,
<I’m all ears……>
in my tank of about 450 litres, I have a Pterois volitans that have eat an hermit crab.
<Sounds like natural behavior for the lion…….>
I am very worried , he seams to be ok (to days later)
The hermits are from Brazil, very small ones, I have more or less 20 hermits crabs in my tank and about 20 snails too. Can my scorpion digest it?
<If he was large enough to swallow it whole, he should be able to digest it just fine.  In fact he will continue to eat the rest of the hermits and snails.>
will he die for eating it?
<Not likely.>
Please tell me what do you think it will happen.
<I think your lion will continue to practice this natural behavior on smaller tank denizens.>
The Pterois is about 15 centimeters long and 43 years of age.
<I’m guessing that age is a typo or was lost in translation somewhere……….>
Thank you very much from ARGENTINA (SOUTH AMERICA)
ALEJANDRO
<Adam J. from SoCal.>

New lionfish owner <caregiver>   12/28/06
Hey,
<Hey now!  Mich here.>
I'm new with owning <caring for> anything other then starter damsels <damsel> and I've never fed a fish frozen food before, I just bought this lionfish and I wasn't sure if it was ok to put the frozen prawn in the tank right out of the freezer.
<How often do you get a hankering for frozen shrimp?  How about a tasty fishcicle?>
Should I thaw them out first?
<Unless you Lionfish has an underwater microwave, yes the shrimp need to be thawed! Even better if you soak them in a vitamin supplement such as Selcon before feeding them to you fish.>
Also is feeding him solely frozen prawn sufficient?
<Could you live on frozen shrimp the rest of your life?>
or should I get something else to add to his diet?
<Variation is key here.  Please educate yourself as to the proper care of this beautiful creature.  These articles are a good place to start.  Good luck to you and happy reading!  -Mich>
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i2/lionfish/keeping_lionfishes.htm
www.wetwebmedia.com/lions&rels.htm